We're Not Heroes, But We Can Try
by MapacheLuna
Summary: One the first day, Tsukishima Kei and Yachi Hitoka disappeared. By the fourth, five people from Karasuno, two from Nekoma, and one from Fukurodani were missing. It's a race against the clock for Sawamura Daichi and his (ragtag group of) companions to find their friends before the dark magic lurking in the shadows strikes, or may it already be too late?
1. Prologue

I should be stopped. I won't be stopped. I don't know why I was suddenly struck by the urge to write Fantasy AU Haikyuu!, but I was, and I rolled with it. The last thing I should be doing is starting another multi-chapter fic when I'm still working on "You Either Die a Hero," but I posted a snippet from the next chapter of that on my Tumblr ( MapacheLuna dot tumblr dot com) to alleviate my guilt (and to prove that I'm working on it).

I've never played any of these RPG games or anything of that sort, so I apologize if I offend anyone with my representation of the character types. That being said, what follows will be a mish-mosh of information I've gathered from RPG, TV Tropes, and Avatar the Last Airbender (that last bit will make sense later), all after going through the whirlwind that is my mind. In other words: I'm making all of this up as I go. I'm so sorry.

 **Disclaimer:** Mm, I wish.

* * *

On the first day, Tsukishima Kei and Yachi Hitoka disappeared without even a whisper, only an upturned herb basket left behind to be found by Yamaguchi Tadashi.

On the second day, Kuroo Tetsurou and Bokuto Koutarou came into town, bringing the news of a missing Kozume Kenma, Haiba Lev, and Akaashi Keiji with them. That same night, Kageyama Tobio and Nishinoya Yuu vanished into thin air.

On the third day, the people were restless and scared. The villages of Fukurodani and Nekoma had only lost one and two people, respectively; why was Karasuno missing four?

The fourth morning brought with it the discovery of an unconscious Sawamura Daichi, and a missing Sugawara Koushi.

By nightfall, a list of all the missing had been put together:

A psychic from Fukurodani. One psychic and one squire from Nekoma. An apothecary, one mage, one weapons master, and two healers from Karasuno.

The fourth night was restless and tense. No one else disappeared.

On the fifth day, Sawamura Daichi, Hinata Shouyou, and Tanaka Ryuunosuke, joined by Kuroo Tetsurou, Bokuto Koutarou, and later, Yaku Morisuke, set out to find their missing friends.

The pace, quick, the mission, urgent. For the taste of dark magic still lingered in the air, and it may already be too late.

* * *

This was just the prologue, chapter one should be up soon. This entire thing is going to be super self-indulgent, I am so sorry. But let me know what you think so far. And I'd like to know your guesses about who's who from the Karasuno gang. Feel free to stop by my Tumblr to read me rambling about the behind the scenes stuff too.


	2. In the Shadows of the Night

Hahaha, why is this so long, this wasn't supposed to be so long, what am I doing, my hand aches: A memoir.

 **Disclaimer:** I'd be rich enough to afford ergonomic writing utensils.

* * *

"Tsukishima-kun!" Kei turned around to see Yachi standing behind him, a woven basket clutched to her chest. "W-what are you doing out here?" At his pointed look to the herbs in her basket, she stuttered, "N-not that you can't be here, of course! This isn't my herb patch or anything like that! It belongs to the town. But obviously, you know that, of course, since you and Suga-san use it all the time-,"

"Yachi," Kei sighed. "It's okay." He nodded to the patch of purple hooded flowers near the edge of the plot. "I was just gathering some wolfsbane."

"Wolfsbane?" Yachi blinked up at him, alarm spreading through her face. "Are you hunting werewolves?"

Kei snorted. "Hardly. Suga-san's teaching me how to heal poisonings." He leant down and poked one of the purple hoods with his gloved hand. "We're healing rats, before you ask."

Yachi giggled nervously. "A-ah, I wasn't going to!" She shifted nervously from foot to foot. "You know, even a brush against it is enough to kill you, right?"

"I know. It's why I'm wearing a glove." Kei frowned suddenly, causing Yachi to give a meep and shuffle back a step. "Did you hear that?"

"Hear what?"

Kei stood up, looking into the tree line. "I don't know. It sounded like-,"

* * *

"Daichi!" Daichi whipped his head around to see Suga jogging up to him, a small frown on his face.

"What's up, Suga?" He _may_ have sounded a little too earnest, but he resolutely ignored the slight sniggers coming from behind him all the same. He'd just have to give Tanaka and Noya a few more laps to run, that's all.

"I'm sorry to bother you, especially in the middle of your training," Suga looked past him to beam and wave at the rest of the panting soldiers behind him. "Good afternoon, guys!"

"Good afternoon, Suga-san!" They all chirped at the same time, straightening up and smiling widely, the hypocrites.

"Don't worry about it," Daichi shook his head. "We were just about to break for lunch." He pretended he didn't hear the _"Since when do we get lunch breaks?" "Are you kidding? We'd get the day off if Sugawara-san asked for it."_

"In that case," Suga grabbed his arm and started pulling him away. "I hope you don't mind me taking your captain for a bit, boys."

"Not at all, Suga-san!" Did they practice that synchronization? Why couldn't they practice their drills with the same diligence?

"Don't eat too much, you're all running laps once we get back!" He basked in the loud groans for a beat before turning back to Suga, smile dropping at the worried expression on his face. "What's wrong?"

"Ah, I'm not sure if something is wrong, actually," Suga smiled nervously. "I was just wondering, have you seen Kei today?"

"Tsukishima?" Daichi frowned. "No, I don't think so. I think the last time I saw him was yesterday. He was antagonizing Kageyama and Hinata in the marketplace."

As if summoned by the thought alone, an orange blur sped by them, quickly followed by a black one.

"OI, GET BACK HERE DUMBASS!"

"MAKE ME, BAKAGEYAMA!" Hinata turned around to stick his tongue out, only to yelp and leap into the air as a bolt of blue light narrowly missed his legs. "Watch it, stupid!"

"Shut up! It would have only numbed your legs!" Kageyama snapped, shooting another bolt of light in the path of the shorter boy's descent. "This one should turn them to stone!"

He didn't get to find out though, because Hinata hit the ground and dashed to the side, an innocent barrel taking the brunt of the attack. They all watched as grey spread out from from the point of impact, slowly but surely turning the entire thing into granite.

"Huh. It actually worked." Hinata looked amazed, and Kageyama slapped him across the head.

"What's with the surprise, dumbass?"

" _What_ are you two doing?" Daichi watched their spines stiffen instantaneously before they turned as one to look at him.

"Ah, Daichi-san!" Hinata refused to look him in the eyes. "We didn't see you there."

"Obviously," He deadpanned, looking at Kageyama, who immediately started sweating. "Aren't you supposed to be at your runes lesson with Takeda-sensei right now?"

"And you," He turned on Hinata before he could so much as smirk. "I'm sure Asahi is wondering where you are right now. You _were_ supposed to meet him at the smithery, weren't you?"

"Of course," Kageyama started backing away, dragging Hinata by the collar. "We'll just, be, going…" He trailed off once they were just out of his reach, and then he bolted, Hinata hot on his heels.

"BYE DAICHI-SAN, BYE SUGA-SAN!" Hinata called happily as he easily bypassed Kageyama, just spurring the other boy on all over again.

Suga's light laughter called his attention away from his scowling. "You should see the expression on your face." His smile was fond while he said it though, lessening the impact of his words. "You're such a dad, Daichi."

Daichi forced down his instinctive urge to blurt, _"I'll gladly be the father to your children."_ That would be bad, very bad.

"Yeah, yeah," He said instead, nudging the grey-haired man's shoulder gently. "What were you saying about Tsukishima?" He could have kicked himself when the easy mirth dropped from the other's face.

"He was supposed to meet me this morning with some wolfsbane, but he never showed up." He shrugged a little helplessly. "Kei's never missed one of our meetings, and his brother said he left the house this morning and hasn't come back."

"That is weird," Daichi frowned. "Have you talked to Yamaguchi yet? If anyone's seen him, it'll probably be him."

The smile that spread across Suga's face put Kageyama's light orbs to shame. "Why didn't I think of that?" Suga punched him on the shoulder. "Look at you, proving that it's not all brawn and no brains in there."

"Hey!" Daichi laughed, rubbing his shoulder. "Aren't you supposed to be taking the pain away, not dishing it out?"

"You're right," Suga was definitely silently laughing at him as he reached for him again, a soft white glow around his hand. "I'm sorry for thinking the big, bad, captain could handle a little tap."

"You and I both know your punches are anything but taps," Daichi murmured, concentrating on the pale hand rubbing his shoulder. Suga just hummed, and Daichi told himself that the warmth he felt spreading through his chest was from the healing, not Suga's smile.

The warmth stayed with him until the official end of their daily training, when he turned to see a pale Suga standing at the edge of the field, an equally ashen Yamaguchi standing next to him holding a very familiar woven basket.

* * *

"The youngest Tsukishima boy and Yachi-chan?" Ukai huffed and continued aggressively cleaning the glass in his hands. "You sure they didn't just run off together or something?"

Daichi snorted into his tankard, taking a long drink before answering. "Tsukishima's not the type. Besides, I'm sure Yachi would have worked herself up into a panic before they even got past the first stores, let alone the edge of the woods. No," He shook his head. "I don't think they would run away, not by a long shot."

"You said neither of them went back home last night, right?" Ukai leaned over the counter, eyebrows arched inquisitively. "So what _do_ you think happened, Sawamura?"

Daichi grimaced. "I'm not sure, but whatever it was, I don't have a good feeling about it."

"And when did you develop a sixth sense, Sawamura?"

Daichi looked Ukai straight in the eye and asked without missing a beat, "Please tell me you put something in here to make me hallucinate."

"Afraid not-,"

"Hey, Sawamura! Long time!"

"You're not imagining that one either," The older man added before straightening up to face the newcomers. "Kuroo, Bokuto. What brings you two to Karasuno?"

"Not pleasure, unfortunately," Long limbs invaded Daichi's periphery as their owner slinked into the seat next to him. "We have a bit of a problem, and it sounds like you're having the same one."

Daichi finally turned to face the taller man, taking in his appearance for the first time. He certainly looked better than he had the last time he'd seen him, but anything was an improvement over "shirtless and on top of a tavern table." He was wearing a high-neck leather jerkin, a weapons belt strung neatly over his hips, and well-worn traveling boots on his feet. The only things that hadn't changed over the last few months apparently were the shit-eating grin on his face and his ridiculous mop of hair.

"Kuroo," He leaned past him to see Bokuto waving cheerfully at him from his other side. He was wearing a thick tunic with an open long vest over it, his distinct grey and black hair flattened by his peaked archer's hat. Daichi couldn't see his dual swords from where he sat, but he was sure they were close-by. "Bokuto. What do you mean we have the same problem?"

"Sounds like you're missing some people. So are we." Kuroo nodded at Bokuto. "One from Fukurodani, two from Nekoma."

Daichi frowned. "You both traveled to Karasuno because of three people?"

"You don't understand," Bokuto leaned over Kuroo, wide-eyed. "Akaashi wouldn't just wander off, something has to be wrong."

"You know Kenma," Daichi's eyes snapped up at the mention of Kuroo's cherished best friend. "He's not the type that likes to even leave his house, let alone run away. And I'm sure you remember Lev." Kuroo paused, probably to allow Daichi to full reimmerse himself in the memory of watching the half-Russian giant toss Hinata up fifteen feet in the air, to the tune of his joyful whoops and Suga's horrified yells. "He disappeared before his lessons with Nekomata-sensei, and yeah, Lev was always late to those," He shrugged, "But he always showed up. We haven't seen any of them in three days."

"I was in Nekoma when Akaashi disappeared," Bokuto looked absolutely heartbroken, prompting Ukai to slide a tankard his way, only to have it be immediately intercepted by Kuroo. _Emotional drunk_ , he mouthed. "I got the news by owl the same day we realized Kenma and Lev were missing."

"We waited a day and then set out," Kuroo picked up where Bokuto left off, patting his friend on the shoulder gently. "Nekoma is directly to the North of Fukurodani, so we continued on the path, and it looks like we were right to do so." He leveled Daichi with a grim look. "How many are you missing?"

"Only two," Daichi admitted. "Tsukishima and Yachi disappeared yesterday afternoon."

"Tsukishima?" Bokuto cried out. "I like him! He's feisty." He frowned. "I can't imagine he would be easy to take."

"Woah, woah, woah," Ukai finally butted in, waving his hand in the air. "'Take?' You think that they were kidnapped?"

'Well, yeah," Bokuto said. "What else could it be?"

"It's not likely that five different people across three towns just decided to run away at the same time," Kuroo added.

Daichi was tapping thoughtfully on the table. "How did you guys travel?"

Bokuto blinked at him. "We tagged along with a merchant who was heading to Shiratorizawa. Karasuno was on the way and he didn't mind."

"So you guys traveled by horse and wagon, but Tsukishima and Yachi disappeared a day before you got here." He continued tapping. "That means if someone _is_ behind this, they managed to not only out-travel you, but they did it while holding three hostages."

Kuroo sighed. "Please don't say dark magic."

"Oh shit, it definitely might be dark magic," Bokuto gasped.

"I'm not saying that," Daichi snapped. "You're a Ranger, aren't you?" He nodded at Bokuto. "There's probably ways to travel quickly through the woods without being seen."

"Well, yeah, if you're alone, bro," Bokuto raised his eyebrows at him. "It's going to be kinda tough to do if you're dragging people around."

"I do _not_ like dark magic," Kuroo took a mournful gulp from the tankard still in his hold.

"No one's saying it was dark magic!" Daichi groaned.

"You're not saying it's wasn't either," Bokuto added unhelpfully.

Ukai slammed a hand on the counter in front of them, watching them jump with unbridled glee. "And all _I'm_ going to say is talking this to death isn't going to get you anywhere. It's already nightfall." He lit his pipe with a breathe, watching Daichi through the smoke. "Enforce a curfew, Sawamura, and maybe have some of your guys stand guard tonight."

"We'll help!" Bokuto volunteered.

"That's not-,"

"We're sticking around anyway," Kuroo interrupted. "We're waiting for Yaku." He tilted his head towards the window, where the edge of the woods could be seen in the distance. "He went on ahead, to see if he could find anything." He turned back to Ukai with a quirked eyebrow. "Do you have any rooms available?"

Daichi sighed and rubbed his forehead. The real question was, how long could he keep this from getting out?

* * *

Yuu hummed thoughtfully, watching the stretch of woodlands in front of him with a wary eye. He had grown up playing between those trees, running in and out without a second thought, hiding from Ryuu and Saeko deep in the woods, laughing like a little maniac the entire time, and not once had he ever felt anything similar to the unease he felt now.

His fingers tightened around the hilt of his sword without his consent as he started deeper into the darkness. When nothing so much as twitched in the treeline, Yuu huffed. All this talk about Tsukishima and Yachi was starting to get to his head, and he couldn't fight down the bubble of frustration welling in his chest. He was Nishinoya Yuu, Guardian Deity of Karasuno, the youngest Weapons Master in the militia! He didn't get scared of _anything_ , especially not trees.

Yuu nodded to himself, giving the treeline one last hard look before turning away, only to almost jump out of his skin when he saw something lumbering in the distance. It took less than a heartbeat for him to have his curved sword out in front of him, but it took two for him to actually recognize the other person.

"Kageyama?" He called. "Is that you?" He didn't get an answer, but that wasn't surprising. Kageyama was prickly on his best days, let alone the dead of night. Speaking of which…

"Oi," Yuu jogged up to him. "You know there's a curfew, right? Daichi-san doesn't want anyone-,"

"Noya-san," Kageyama interrupted him, glaring into the distance with a look only marginally more pissed off than his normal one. "Can't you hear that?"

Yuu blinked and glanced around. "Hear what?"

"It's so loud," Kageyama muttered, raising a hand lazily in front of him. "It woke me up."

"Uh, I don't hear anything," Yuu looked closer at the younger boy's face, noticing an odd light in his eyes. "Tobio, are you-," He was interrupted once again, this time when Kageyama jerked back with a gasp, gripping his wrist. Yuu could only watch with growing alarm as an angry purple-red color bloomed like a burn on the back of his hand. "What the fuck-!"

* * *

"DAICHI-SAAAAN!"

Daichi looked up from his coffee to see Tanaka bursting into the shop, chest heaving and eyes wild. He already had a bad feeling about this, and it wasn't even seven in the morning yet.

"Wha-,"

"Daichi-san!" Tanaka wheezed. "Yuu wasn't at his post when I went to relieve him, but I found this," Daichi's stomach dropped into his boots when Tanaka held up a curved short sword with a very familiar lightening bolt etched onto the pommel, "At the edge of the woods."

Daichi was standing up and taking the sword from Tanaka before he even knew what he was doing, noticing for the first time the fine trembling running through his fingers. "Anything else?"

Tanaka was opening his mouth to answer when Suga rushed in, brown eyes lit with fear.

"Kageyama is missing!"

Daichi swore vehemently, watching the other two twitch in surprise. He was usually much more composed than that, but this was getting out of hand. "So is Noya."

"Daichi," Suga breathed out, hands clenching and unclenching in the air. "What are we going to do?"

The brunet ran a hand down his face, tightening his hold on Noya's sword with the other. "I don't know, but I think it's time we had a town meeting."

The town meeting was pure chaos. Daichi stood at the front as the representative of the military force in Karasuno, and predictably, everyone was falling on him for failing to keep their children protected.

"If you knew this was happening," Kageyama had definitely inherited his scary face from his mother, "Then why weren't there more guards on patrol?!"

"Shakaku-san," Daichi said. "Every soldier I could spare at the last minute was on duty last night-,"

"Not nearly enough of them!" Kageyama may had gotten his magic from his father's side of the family, but Daichi could swear he saw sparks actually flying from his mother's eyes.

"Shakaku-san," Suga interceded smoothly. "I'm sure you're familiar with the size of our town, especially in comparison to the size of the militia," He nodded to where the rest of the soldiers stood spread out along the the walls of the townhouse, shifting on their feet and casting overly-cautious glances all over the place. "Even if everyone _had_ been on patrol at the same time, it would have been impossible to have every inch accounted for. Besides," His expression dimmed a little, but he carried on, "One of the soldiers went missing as well. I'm not sure more guards would have changed any of this."

Shakaku deflated in the face of Suga's earnestness, but she still cast a tired glare at Daichi. "Find my son, Sawamura. Tobio wouldn't run away."

Daichi dipped his head stiffly. "I know he wouldn't, and I will."

He watched Shakaku march back to her husband's side before letting out a breathe. "I don't know what I'd do without you here, Suga."

Suga for his part just patted him on the arm. "You'd be fine. You have a steady presence, people respect that."

Daichi snorted. "Not right now, they don't. Everyone's looking at me like they want to rip my head off." And it was true. At no give time weren't there at least seven different people glaring at him from all corners of the room. "I think the only thing stopping them is you standing next to me. No one wants to risk you getting caught in the crossfire."

The slighter man punched him in the arm with a small huff. "Why, because I'm a healer?"

Daichi impulsively grabbed his hand before he could retract it. "No, because you're Suga, and everyone loves you," He rubbed his thumb across the soft skin on his knuckles. "You're the peacekeeper in this town, the heart of it." Before he could change his mind, he pressed a quick kiss to the hand he held captive. "I don't know where I'd be without you to keep me grounded, " He finally looked up, taking in this best friend's flushed face. "So thank you, for always being here."

"Dai-,"

"ATTENTION, EVERYONE! SETTLE DOWN, THIS MEETING IS ABOUT TO COMMENCE." The mayor was wringing his hands, the sweat on his forehead clearly visible in the bright orb lights. "Sawamura, where-, oh, there you are! Come on, you're needed over here!"

Daichi sighed, dropping Suga's hand and squaring his shoulders. "Alright, let's get this over with."

"Good luck, Captain," Suga's flustered smile made the walk to his doom at least one hundred times easier to bear.

* * *

Daichi stifled a yawn with the back of his hand, giving his head a furious shake to ward off the creeping tendrils of sleep. He was exhausted; the town meeting had gone on well into the night, with people shouting questions and accusations at him from all directions for hours. And then there was the question of trying to corral Hinata, easily just as agitated as Kageyama's actual family, but with the added factor of being just as stubborn as the missing boy. He'd had to assign him to a guard post for the night just to give him something to do, although he'd had the presence of mind to pair him off with Ennoshita. He wasn't running the risk of having the town's baby Dragon-born turn up missing just from his own stupidity; he had enough on his plate right now.

As it was though, the night had been quiet, save for the sound of the wind rustling through the leaves as he patrolled the outermost edge of what constituted as the town's property. A couple more yards into the woodland area, and he would officially be in no-man's land. It was a familiar patrol, but despite the fact that he could already see the sky lightening up to the East, he couldn't quite shake off the feeling that the night wasn't quite over just yet.

His thoughts traveled back to Bokuto's words right before they had gone separate ways for the night guard, despite Daichi's insistence that he and Kuroo didn't have to concern themselves.

" _Nah, don't worry about it, Sawamura!" Bokuto had slapped him hard on the back. "We want to do this. You think we'd be able to sleep easy knowing that you guys are disappearing all over the place? Besides," He had tossed a curious glance at the darkening woodlands. "Something doesn't feel right about those trees, you know? I want to check it out."_

" _Something doesn't feel right about the trees," Daichi had repeated, looking at Bokuto's earnest face skeptically._

" _Yup!" Bokuto bopped his head up and down repeatedly. "The crows are being quiet."_

" _I'd believe him, if I were you," Kuroo had drawled as he walked by. "Bokuto usually knows what he's talking about when it comes to that stuff."_

" _Thanks, man!" Bokuto beamed._

" _But, the crows?" Daichi pressed._

" _Yeah," The ranger turned back to him. "The crows around here are usually more animated, friendly, they like to chat. I haven't really heard any since we got here."_

 _Now that he mentioned it, Daichi supposed that Bokuto was right; the crows were a staple in Karasuno, it was in the namesake after all. They could usually be seen flying in and out of the trees, and stalking the market for unattended wares, but there had been a distinct lack of black birds around for the past few days._

" _What does that mean then?" Daichi frowned._

" _I'm not sure, but that's what I want to find out," Bokuto had saluted him them. "See you at dawn, Capain!" And then he'd dashed into the tree line with a hoot before Daichi could protest the title._

Now, Daichi could see more clearly what Bokuto had been talking about. He had barely heard or seen any animals the entire night, only one raccoon that had darted out of the treeline out of the corner of his eye, and a couple of owls hooting that could have just as easily been Bokuto himself.

He was approaching Tanaka's patrol area when he heard the sound of shuffling feet back the way he had come. He jumped around, a hand already closing around his sword when he registered exactly who he was looking at.

"Suga?" He would be able to recognize that light hair anywhere, especially shining the way it was in the sparse moonlight. He had already taken a step forward when he realized that the other man was still in his bed clothes, a simple white shirt and a pair of sleep trousers. As he watched the healer stumble forward he realized that he wasn't wearing any shoes either. "Suga!"

Daichi watched Suga falter in his steps, a shudder spreading through his shoulders before he appeared to jerk forward again, right towards the treeline, he realized with a sinking heart.

"Suga!" He tried again, racing towards him. "What are you doing?"

Suga stopped so suddenly that Daichi had to backpedal rapidly to avoid slamming into him. Daichi watched him shakily turn his head, half of his face finally visible in the rising light, although Daichi was sure he would have been able to see the purple ringing those brown eyes even in the darkest hour of the night.

"Daichi…" Suga whispered. "Help me."

"What?" Daichi looked him over rapidly, only then noticing the way he had his left arm extended away from his body, almost as if he were being pulled. "Suga, what's going on?"

"I don't know!" Suga's body spasmed forward again, but he held his ground. "I can't stop!" The tears Daichi could see pooling in Suga's violet-tinted eyes were what finally jarred him into action.

"Suga-," Just as he was reaching for the other's arm, several things happened at once. He watched, confused, as a purple-red mark suddenly bloomed around the wrist he was inches from touching. Suga gasped, fingers tensing as his entire body was _yanked_ forward, a terrified expression blooming across his face as he glanced beyond Daichi.

"Daichi, watch out-!"

The last thing Daichi saw before pain erupted across his temple was the purple glow overtaking the brown of Suga's eyes. And then everything went black.

* * *

"CLEAR!" Ryuu frowned as he answered Hinata's wordless screech with a much more sophisticated hollar of his own. He heard the rising and falling pitches as various soldiers checked in along the perimeter, including Kuroo's, "I DON'T KNOW WHAT TO SAY," and a rather impressive barking-hooting-yelping combo from the trees that he supposed was Bokuto. But the one he hadn't heard yet was Daichi's scream directed at all of them to be serious. The captain's patrol was the closest to his own, so he should have honestly heard him before anyone else.

Ryuu fingered the hilt of his sword as he ventured westward into Daichi's patrol area. As he walked he couldn't help but remember doing the same thing the morning before, and finding his best friend's favored weapon lying in the dirt, like a discarded trinket, Yuu nowhere in sight. He grit his teeth and fervently hoped that he wouldn't be finding his captain's sword abandoned in the same manner.

He felt his blood turn to ice as a figure lying prone on the ground suddenly became visible up ahead.

" _This isn't what I meant, this isn't what I meant!"_ Ryuu shouted in his head as he broke into a sprint cursing under his breathe. He cursed again as the figure's slackened face came into view and revealed itself to be none other than Daichi himself.

"Fuck! Daichi-san!" He skidded onto his knees. "Please don't be dead, please don't be dead," he muttered, rolling Daichi onto his back. "Oh, thank God," he breathed, watching as his captain's chest rose and fell steadily underneath his hand. There was a slowly oozing gash on his temple, matting his black hair to his head, but other than that, he could have just as easily been asleep.

"Shit, _shit!_ " He rubbed at his shaved head furiously, glancing around. Nothing else seemed amiss, Daichi's sword was even still strapped to his belt; he hadn't even unsheathed it. Whatever got him, must have taken him by surprise.

Another round of Hinata's distinct screeching rang out into the air, this time with a definitely questioning lilt to it. They were probably wondering where they were, Ryuu figured. Even Hinata must have realized something was wrong when Daichi failed to check-in.

"OI!" He cupped his hands around his mouth. "MAN DOWN, MAN DOWN!" He glanced up in time to see Bokuto drop soundlessly from a tree a few yards up, already sprinting towards them. From behind, he could hear the familiar sound of booted feet running towards them as well.

At least Daichi hadn't disappeared though. That was an improvement, right?

* * *

"So," Ukai rubbed furiously at the bridge of his nose, watching Daichi with keen eyes. "Sugawara was _walking_ away himself?"

"But not willingly," Daichi stressed, barely flinching as Shimizu spread a topical gel on his temple. "He asked me to help him," He clenched his fists in his lap. "And all I did was pass out as he was kidnapped."

Ukai reached over and prodded him on the head, ignoring the apothecary's unimpressed stare and Daichi's grunt. "You didn't pass out, you were attacked. Consider yourself lucky that you weren't taken too."

"Or killed," Kuroo chimed in, leaning back in his own chair with a thoughtful look. "Sounds like Sugawara was targeted specifically, if there was," he gestured at his own eyes, "You know, magic going on. You could have easily become a casualty."

"So you think everyone was taken for a reason," Ukai hummed. "What do they all have in common then?"

"They're all men," Tanaka immediately proposed.

"Except for Hitoka," Hinata muttered, swinging his feet from his perch on the counter. "She was taken first."

"No," Bokuto shook his head, dual-colored hair shaking back and forth. "Akaashi was taken first. Yachi was taken," He counted quickly. "Fourth."

"Ages?" Ittetsu proposed, glancing around a little nervously. After Daichi had been found he had been carried into Ukai's shop as quickly and quietly as possible by the first responders, startling the poor runemaster half to death. Then Tanaka and Hinata had proceeded to barricade the shop, declaring a state of emergency; no one came in, and no one went out. The only person allowed out had been Ennoshita, to round up the soldiers and inform the mayor, and the only person allowed in had been Shimizu, in order to tend to Daichi's head.

Ittetsu had only wanted to buy some mead, and now he was stuck in the middle of an impromptu war meeting with two Dragon-borns, the captain of the militia, one soldier, and two foreigners. His mother had warned him stuff like this would happen if he drank too much. He should have listened.

"Yachi's seventeen, same as Kageyama and Tsukishima," Daichi offered. "Noya's eighteen, and Suga," He visibly swallowed, "Suga's nineteen."

"Kenma's eighteen," Kuroo said. "And Lev is seventeen too."

"Akaashi's eighteen also." Bokuto frowned. "The oldest person is Sugawara, but it's pretty evenly spread between everyone else."

"So that's out," Ukai huffed. "What else?"

"Virgins?" Hinata flushed as everyone turned to stare at him. "What? Aren't virgins the first thing anyone takes during these things?"

"Well," To Ittetsu's great horror Kuroo actually looked thoughtfully. "Kenma's a virgin, and unless Yaku has hit it, Lev's probably still a virgin too."

Hinata snorted. "Kageyama's defintely still a virgin, and Tsukishima too," He made a disgusted face. "I can't imagine anyone would want to touch _him._ "

"Hinata-," Daichi warned.

"Sorry, Captain!" He ducked his head. "I, I don't know about Hitoka, though."

"Well, Akaashi's not," Bokuto declared, puffing out his chest proudly. "I can attest to that."

Kuroo eyed him curiously. "Does it really count if you were both drunk?"

"How'd you know about that?" Bokuto squawked indignantly.

Kuroo shrugged. "You just told me."

"Ah," Daichi interrupted them, crossing his arms and looking away. "Suga isn't either."

"Woah, really?" Bokuto turned to him, previous mood forgotten. "Way to go, Sawamura!"

"Didn't think you had it in you to make a move," Kuroo shot him a thumbs up. "Good for you."

"It wasn't me."

Bokuto sucked in a breath between his teeth. "That's tough, man."

Kuroo reached over to pat him on the back. "Sorry, bro."

"So it's not gender, age, or purity," Shimizu interrupted. "What are their classes?"

"Ah," Ukai dipped his head. "Good thinking, Shimizu. Sugawara and Tsukishima are healers-,"

"And Kageyama's a mage," Hinata said.

"Yuu's the best Weapons Master we've ever had," Tanaka boasted proudly.

"And Hitoka is my apprentice, so an apothecary," Shimizu added before turning to Bokuto and Kuroo's corner.

"Akaashi's a psychic," Bokuto said. "Psychokinetic, specifically." He waggled his fingers near his head. "He can move stuff and mess with people's minds. It's pretty scary."

"And Kenma's a psychic too, but he just has Sight," Kuroo added. "And Lev's a squire, technically, but he's Dragon-born."

"Haiba's Dragon-born?" Tanaka bellowed. "Since when?"

"Since he was born," Kuroo deadpanned.

"Focus," Daichi barked, leaning forward. "So it's two psychics, two healers, one Dragon-born, one apothecary, one mage, and one Weapons Master." His frown deepened. "That's not exactly a narrow group of talents."

"But it is pretty well-rounded," Tanaka pointed out. "They have defensive abilities and offensive abilities evenly distributed between them."

"So are they building an army?" Hinata asked.

"Eight people is too small for an army," Kuroo said.

"But eight powerful people may be enough for surprise attacks," Bokuto gasped.

"And you don't know if they have anyone else that you haven't heard about yet," Ukai threw in.

"Ah," Ittetsu started sweating as all eyes turned towards him. "This is still a lot of supposition," He pointed out. "I don't want to be the one to say it," he swallowed down the bile creeping up his throat, "But how do even know that they're still alive?"

That caused a hush to settle down over the store immediately.

"Yuu wouldn't go down without a fight!" Tanaka exploded. "No way!"

"And Kageyama is strong!" Hinata leaped off the counter. "He's scary and strong and stubborn, no way he's dead!"

"He is," Ittetsu nodded, "He's one of the best students I've ever had, but if there's dark magic afoot…"

"It wouldn't make sense to take healers just to kill them," Daichi shook his head resolutely.

"That would be a lot of trouble to go through, just for murder," Kuroo agreed. "Besides, I think I'd know if Kenma was dead."

"You have a sixth sense now, Kuroo?" Daichi raised an eyebrow at the taller man.

"No, but I can sense Kenma's magic," Kuroo didn't miss a beat. He tapped his temple lightly. "I can tell when he's checking up on me, but even when he's not, there's a sense of it." He glanced around. "I was his anchor when his abilities manifested, so I'm pretty sensitive to his magic."

"Can you feel it now?" Ukai asked curiously.

"It's faint," Kuroo admitted. "But it's still there."

"So if Kozume's still alive, chances are everyone else is also," Daichi let out a sigh of relief, before looking back at Kuroo. "Can you follow it?"

"What, Kenma's magic?" Kuroo shook his head. "I'm no ranger. Besides, it's not an actual magical signature, it's just a _feeling_."

"But it's better than nothing," Tanaka nodded at him.

"Sensei is right, however," Ukai pointed out. "We really don't know what's going on. Hell, we don't even know if that's all the people they plan to take."

"I think they're done," Bokuto said, nodding towards the windows. "The crows are back."

True enough, there was a big, black bird perched on the windowsill, cleaning its wing like nothing was amiss.

"The crows…?" Ittetsu asked.

"Yeah, they were missing. A lot of the animals were missing, actually," Bokuto got a faraway look in his eyes. "I haven't ever spent a night that alone in any woods before. It was kinda scary."

"Do animals not like dark magic, or something?" Hinata questioned.

Bokuto hummed. "Animals are usually pretty skittish around all types of magic," He shrugged. "It's not natural to them, so it spooks them. They're pretty simple like that."

"Well, that explains why every animals hates Kageyama," Hinata said. "He's always oozing magic."

"Oi, animals don't exactly like you either, Hinata," Tanaka pointed out. "You can't even walk by the stables without causing a stampede."

"That's because I'm Dragon-born!" He shot back. "They don't like Ukai-san or Asahi-san either!"

"Bokuto," Daichi interrupted. "Would you be able to track them?"

"What d'you mean?"

"Would you be able to track the animals' disappearances?" Daichi clarified. "Through the woods. Is that something you can do?"

"Well, yeah," Bokuto blinked at him quizzically. "That's pretty easy to do."

"What are you planning, Sawamura?" Kuroo asked with a tilt of his own head.

"I'm not sure yet," Daichi stood up and made for the door. "But what we just discussed here, stays here. And I mean that," He shot Hinata and Tanaka an especially pointed glare. "No telling Saeko, no telling Natsu, no telling anyone. This stays between us, am I clear?"

"Sir, yes sir!" Hinata and Tanaka immediately saluted, Hinata almost toppling over under the force of his own enthusiasm.

"I'm going to ask you to keep this to yourself too, Sensei," Ittetsu jumped a little, seeing Daichi giving him a grim smile. "I know you were kind of dragged into this, but it's really important that people don't panic right now. I'm not going to be able to keep Suga's," he took a ragged breath, "Disappearance a secret, but we don't need the entire town freaking out over half-baked ideas."

"Of course, Captain," Ittetsu nodded solemnly, watching as Daichi gave a tired chuckle.

"Sensei, please. It's just Daichi," And with that, he was gone.

"He's planning something," Bokuto declared seconds after the door shut.

"He's definitely planning something," Kuroo nodded.

"Of course he's planning something," Ukai rolled his eyes. "Let's just hope it's not something stupid or crazy."

* * *

"That's crazy, Daichi!" Asahi looked absolutely terrified.

"What's so crazy about it?" Daichi crossed his arms and leveled a glare at the blacksmith.

"What's so-," Asahi sputtered. "You're talking about going on a manhunt, through the woods, without any idea of where you're going! That's insane!"

"I'll have an idea," Daichi protested. "I'm taking a ranger with me."

"You want to take _Bokuto_ with you," Asahi corrected. "Bokuto who likes to sit in the rafters and talk to the owls."

"It's something he can legitimately do though, don't make him sound crazy."

"Bokuto _is_ crazy."

"Probably," Daichi shrugged. "But it's the kind of crazy I need right now."

Asahi sighed, rubbing the back of his neck tiredly. "Who else do you want to take?"

Daichi hummed, settling against the table at his back. "I can't take Bokuto without bringing Kuroo, so he's probably in-,"

"Kuroo who also likes to sit in the rafters, but in order to jump down on people's backs," Asahi deadpanned.

"He's stealthy and quick," Daichi pointed out. " _That_ I can work with."

"Are you taking any of us?"

"Tanaka," Daichi immediately answered. "He's already invested and he's a strong warrior too. I could use his support."

"Not to mention that he'll actually listen to you." Asahi added.

Daichi chuckled. "It'll be nice to have at least one person who does."

"Is that it?"

"No," Daichi took a deep breathe. "It's what I wanted to talk to you about, actually. I want to take Hinata too."

" _ **What?**_ " Asahi's eyes bulged and his throat glowed. Daichi knew this was going to happen. "He's just an apprentice!"

"But he's _your_ apprentice," Daichi stressed. "And you may be glass-hearted, but I know you haven't gone easy on him with his training. He's strong."

"He's still learning, Daichi," Asahi huffed. "You know its been hard; we're not from the same line of dragons, it's not that simple."

"I don't expect him to be you, or Ukai-san. I just need to know that he can fight with what he has."

Asahi closed his eyes and swallowed hard, smoke trailing out of his nostrils as he took a breathe. "He can jump, and he's getting the hang of his vocal pitches. And he _is_ strong. Not superstrong, but strong enough to swing that," He pointed to a short and broad weapon, more of a machete in appearance than a sword, with a straight hilt laying on one of the tables to the side.

"A falchion?" Daichi eyed it appreciatively. "You need some power to use that."

"He's strong enough," Asahi repeated. "And he can use it while jumping."

"You've trained him in a lot more than just Dragon-born skill handling, haven't you," Daichi didn't bother phrasing it like a question, watching as Asahi squirmed under his gaze.

"Like I said, there's only so much I can actually teach him about that stuff, so I'm teaching him what I can."

"And that's good enough for me," Daichi nodded to himself. "So he can fight?"

"Daichi-,"

"Can Hinata fight, Asahi?" Daichi pressed.

"He can fight," The Dragon-born conceded reluctantly. "But I don't think he should."

"We'll leave that decision to him," Daichi offered.

"You and I both know what he's going to say," Asahi sighed, more smoke curling out from the corners of his mouth.

"Kageyama is missing, Asahi," Daichi reminded him. "Kageyama and Noya, who he idolized. Not to mention Yachi, who he grew up with, and Suga, whose everyone's second mom. And Kozume, his best friend from Nekoma." He spread his hands helplessly. "Hinata is going to follow me, whether I invite him or not. I rather it be on my terms, with your blessing."

"I don't have much of a choice, do I," Asahi looked _tired_ , and Daichi realized that people had probably been coming in and out of the smithery demanding weapons on short notice in the wake of all the disappearances. Everywhere he looked he could see different projects, started, finished, and everything in between.

"Suga is missing, Asahi," Daichi clenched his right hand into a fist, the same hand that had almost touched that red-purple mark. "He was taken right in front of me, and I couldn't stop it."

"Dai-,"

"I'm getting him back," Daichi powered on. "I'm getting him, and everyone else back before anything can happen to them, but I need help."

Asahi sighed again, but when he looked up, it was with a steely expression on his face. "What do you need me to do, Daichi?"

Daichi tried not to let the relief show too blatantly on his face. He had a feeling that he failed anyway. "I'm leaving Ennoshita in charge of the men," He started. "But I want you to patrol with them."

Asahi frowned. "Why? I'm not a soldier, Daichi."

"Actively," Daichi reminded him. "But once a warrior, always a warrior. They could use your skillset to fill the gap left by Noya, Tanaka, and me."

"Those are big shoes to fill, Daichi," Asahi said helplessly.

"Well, it's a good thing you have big feet then," Daichi couldn't help but snark back. "I need you to do this, Asahi. For me, for the town, for Noya, Suga, and everyone else."

"I'll do it," Asahi promised. "But, Daichi, do you really think something is going to happen?" He shuffled on his feet. "That we're going to get attacked?"

"I don't know," Daichi admitted. "I hope not, but I really don't know."

* * *

True to Bokuto's prediction, that night was filled with the soft sounds of nighttime animals going about their businesses; hunting, gathering, chattering, but nothing more.

No one disappeared that night.

* * *

"I should have actually bet Sensei some money," Was the first thing Ukai said to Daichi when he entered the shop at dawn the next morning.

Daichi just blinked at him. "What?"

"Takeda-sensei," Ukai clarified. "He didn't think you were going to do anything reckless. We all knew better."

"We?" Daichi repeated.

"You're slow this morning," Ukai rolled his eyes. "How's the bump?"

Daichi ran a finger over scab on his head. "Healing. It'll probably scar, but I should be fine. Shimizu knows what she's doing."

"She's a smart girl," Ukai agreed. "It's why I asked her to add some salves to the packs." With that, he hefted a small travel pack onto the counter, "Here's yours. There's some room left for your clothes and stuff, but food, drinks, and the works are all accounted for. Gotta travel light."

"What?" Daichi couldn't help but ask again.

"You're a little easy to read, Captain," Ukai drawled, breathing onto his pipe. "The guys are waiting for you near the herb patch."

"How did they even-,"

"They didn't, really," Ukai told him. "But Tanaka and Hinata weren't going to stay behind, and Bokuto and Kuroo are a package deal, so since you were obviously going to take the ranger…"

"Right," Daichi huffed, emptying his own bag into the pack on the counter. "Glad to know I'm predictable."

"You're reliable," Ukai corrected. "Your townspeople are disappearing, one of them's your boyfriend," He ignored Daichi's sputtering, "Obviously, you were going after them. It's the kind of person you are, Sawamura."

"I couldn't forgive myself if I didn't do something," Daichi muttered, shouldering the pack.

"Reliable," Ukai repeated before leveling Daichi with a hard stare. "Be careful, Sawamura. You don't know what you're up against, and you guys are at the obvious disadvantage." He cast a meaningful stare at the simple travel tunic and trousers that Daichi wore. "They may not know you're coming yet, but they'll find out. They always do."

"And we'll be ready," Daichi replied with conviction, tightening the sheath on his belt.

Ukai sighed, smoke curling lazily around his head. "For all our sakes, I hope so."

* * *

True to Ukai's words, the figures of Kuroo, Tanaka, and Hinata were easily visible just inside the treeline as Daichi walked past the herb patch where Tsukishima and Yachi had disappeared.

"Took you long enough, Sawamura," Kuroo drawled from his slouch against a nearby tree. He was back in the leather jerkin from the first night, but this time his belt clearly displayed his daggers. "We were starting to get worried."

"It's not as easy for the captain of the guard to disappear as it is for a traveler," Daichi shot back, ignoring Kuroo's wounded hand to chest motion. "Where's Bokuto?"

"Scouting," Tanaka answered him, standing at attention when Daichi glanced at him. Like Daichi, Tanaka was just wearing a tunic and a pair of trousers, although his top was sleeveless. His sword was strapped to his waist, same as Daichi's. "He said he'd let us know when he had a trail."

"Good," Daichi nodded. "What did you tell your family?"

"Ah…"

"Tanaka," Daichi growled. "Please tell me you let them know. We can't have them thinking you disappeared too!"

"I left a note!" Tanaka declared. "I even left it where I know Saeko is going to find it. After she get back from Tsukishima's. I told her the older one liked her pie." He shrugged. "She has a crush on him."

"That's so smart, Tanaka-san," Hinata sighed. "I just stuck my note to my parents' door and then ran out." He pouted. "Not as cool."

Daichi took the moment to look Hinata over too. He was wearing adequate traveling clothes too, although his own top was made of stiffer material, almost like Kuroo's jerkin, but with some sleeves as opposed to the sleeveless look the other favored. His boots were also thicker soled than normal for long distance traveling, but when Hinata caught Daichi staring, he clarified. "They have to be thick, because of the jumping. Anything else wears out too quickly."

Daichi quirked an eyebrow at him. "Can you walk in them?"

Hinata puffed up. "Of course, Daichi-san!"

"Then it's fine," He glanced at the sword strapped to the younger boy's back. "Asahi let you bring the falchion?"

"Yup!" The redhead reached back to pet the hilt gently. "He said I had been practicing so much with it, it was as good as mine." He smiled, a little nervously. "I'm not really good with any other weapon."

"Don't worry about it, Shrimpy," Kuroo said, spinning one of his daggers around his hand pointedly. "Most of us are really only one-weapon people. The Weapons Masters are the ones expected to have versatility. As long as that thing can keep you and us alive, it's fine."

"Kuroo's right," Tanaka shook Hinata's shoulder roughly. "No one's expecting you to be Yuu. If Asahi-san says you're good with the falchion, then you're probably great with it! Don't worry about it."

"Worry about it a little bit," Daichi muttered under his breathe, just as a loud hoot rang through the early morning air.

"And that would be the signal," Kuroo pushed off the tree just as Bokuto dropped down between them.

He stood up, adjusting his archer's hat more snuggly on his head. "Oh, Sawamura! Just in time," He pointed to their left. "The trail's that way."

"To the North?" Daichi questioned, receiving a grim nod in return. "What town's in that direction?"

"Seijou, I think," Bokuto adjusted the swords on his back. "Five days travel the normal way."

"And your way?"

Bokuto grinned widely. "Three."

"Alright!" Tanaka cracked his knuckles. "Let's go then!" Hinata chirped in agreement, bouncing on his toes.

"Well, Captain?" Kuroo asked.

"You know you don't have to call me that," Daichi rubbed at his neck. "I'm not _your_ captain."

"Ah, but you are," Kuroo smirked, amber eyes flashing. "We follow your lead on this adventure, Sawamura."

"No, we follow Bokuto's," Daichi rolled his eyes, gesturing the other man forward. "Lead the way, Ranger."

"Aiy aiy, Captain!" Bokuto saluted with a smirk as he sauntered into the woods, Kuroo starting to slink after him before stopping suddenly.

"Oh."

"What's wrong?" Hinata already had a hand on his sword, Tanaka similarly alert next to him.

"Nothing," Kuroo shook his head, eyebrows furrowed thoughtfully. "It's just…" He smiled. "Kenma's checking in." He chuckled. "We're coming for you, Kenma. Hang in there."

"Can he actually hear you?" Tanaka asked.

"Yes," Kuroo replied easily. "He can See and Hear."

"In that case," Tanaka cleared his throat noisily. "YUU, WE'RE COMING FOR YOU, BUDDY. I EVEN GOT YOUR SWORD FOR YOU." Daichi hadn't even noticed the second sword strapped to Tanaka's pack.

"OI, KAGEYAMA," Hinata joined in. "WE'RE COMING TO RESCUE YOUR DAMSEL IN DISTRESS BUTT, DUMBASS. DON'T DIE BEFORE THEN."

"You really don't need to shout," Kuroo blinked at them. "It's like he's standing right here-,"

"TSUKISHIMA, YOU BASTARD," Tanaka was undeterred. "HOW DARE YOU LET YACHI-CHAN GET SNATCHED."

"YEAH," Hinata echoed. "HOW DARE YOU."

"You get used to them," Daichi mumbled as he strode past a dumbfounded Kuroo.

"We're coming, Suga. Just wait for us."

* * *

Koushi came-to groggily, a faint, golden light shining in his face as a greeting. He blinked slowly, watching as the glow reformed itself first into three blobs, then into Kei's eyes and hand.

"Kei!" He shot up, throwing his arms around the younger boy. "You're alright!"

"I was about to say the same thing to you, Suga-san," Kei answered stiffly, but that was par for course with him. "You were the last to wake up."

"The last-?" Koushi pulled away from Kei, only to be hit by two small blurs around the waist.

"SUGA-SAN!"

"SUGA-SAN!"

"Yachi! Noya!" He hugged them back. "You're both alright! Is-," He looked around, eyes falling on Kageyama sitting a little farther away, but close enough for him to pull close with a gentle tug.

"I'm okay, Suga-san," The blackhaired boy muttered, but he accepted the headbutt to the temple all the same.

"I'm glad," Koushi breathed. "I'm glad you're all alright. We were so worried."

"Do we get hugs too?"

Koushi blinked, vision suddenly filled with narrow, green pupils and silver hair. "Lev?"

"You remembered me!" Lev smiled happily. "Do I get a hug now?"

Koushi couldn't help but laugh helplessly, pulling the taller boy down into the huddle. "Why not?" Kageyama managed to squirm away, a horrified look on his face as Lev wrapped his long limbs around Koushi, Yachi, and Noya indiscriminately.

"Is Kenma with you?" Koushi asked into the mouthful of hair suddenly in his face.

"Kenma-san is here," Kei offered distantly. "He's trying to See outside this room."

"I hate to interrupt," Another voice interjected smoothly, "But does anyone know exactly _where_ we are?"

Lev finally detached himself and Koushi was able to look around for the others. He could see Kenma a little way across the room, sitting still with glowing eyes, presumedly using his powers. Closer by, a leggy, black-haired boy that he had only met a few times, but he immediately recognized.

"Akaashi-san! You're here too!"

Akaashi nodded at him, a small smile twisting his lips. "I am, wherever _here_ happens to be."

Koushi finally cast his glance around the rest of the room and immediately gasped, pulling Yachi and Noya closer to himself.

"Where are we?"

* * *

That's chapter one. It was only supposed to be an expansion of the prologue, but 25 pages later...it's a very long expansion of the prologue. If you have an questions, feel free to let me know in a comment or at my Tumblr (same as this username). I'm going to try to type up a character class sheet and a weapons one for the characters too, if anyone's interested in that also.

Now I'm off to ice my hand.


	3. Ivory Towers with a Purple-Eyed Monster

Maybe one day I'll stop finishing my chapters at 4am. That day wasn't today.

 **Disclaimer:** The dream.

* * *

The room wasn't small, but it wasn't exactly big either, especially for eight people. It looked like it could have been a nice personal bedroom, maybe belonging to some mid-class nobility with the high ceiling and the large window to the side, but not anymore. It was a essentially nothing more than a bare rectangle now, completely stripped of any personality and distinguishing features, only the off-white walls and the smooth wooden floors left intact, where it could be seen through the multitude of futons scattered throughout the space anyway.

What had Koushi gaping in surprise however, were the runes carved on every available surface. Koushi craned his head around, taking in the sheer number of runes littered throughout the room, from the walls to the ceiling, to the floor beneath him. He could even see them distorting the light coming in through the window.

"What is this…?" He mumbled, clutching Noya and Yachi tighter.

"Runes," Kei answered, glaring at Kageyama when he pushed him.

"Explain, bastard," Kageyama said. "Suga-san just woke up."

"Oh, am I not moving fast enough for his majesty?" Kei rolled his eyes, ignoring Kageyama's growl as he turned back to Koushi. "They're all entrapment and holding runes; nothing is getting out of here unless it's through the door." He nodded at the door that Koushi had apparently bypassed with his first glance. The pattern of runes on the wall around it continued uninterrupted right over it, making it easy to overlook. "Even the window is sealed shut."

"The door over there," Kageyama added, pointing to a smaller, plainer door on a perpendicular wall. "Is the washroom."

"Is there any-?"

"No," Kei sighed. "We checked. Just a latrine and a shower. That's it."

"There may have been more at some point," Kageyama frowned. "But it was removed recently." He shifted uncomfortably. "There're traces of magic in there."

"Probably explains where the window went too," Akaashi added. "There's a space," He made a box gesture with his fingers, "That looks fresher than the wall around it."

Noya began to wiggle in his grasp, so Koushi reluctantly loosened his hold. Noya popped into his field of vision with a grim look on his face.

"There's nothing in here, Suga-san," He said. "Just us and the futons, and even these," He kicked at the closest one, "Are just fluff. There's nothing I can use in them."

"And there has to be some strengthening runes in here also," Lev added. "Because I tried to break the window and just broke my hand."

"What!" Koushi grabbed for the other with his free hand. "Where?"

"I already fixed it," Kei told him, pushing his glasses up. "It was almost as funny as watching his majesty get blasted by the door."

"Shut up, bastard," Kageyama muttered, rubbing absently at his chest.

"How long was I out?" Koushi blinked at them, trying to process all of this information.

"Not that long, actually," Akaashi said. "I woke up first, but everyone else started waking up soon after. You were just the last one. If I had to guess," He glanced out the window. "I'd say I've only been awake maybe an hour, at most."

"You had already been missing for four days before I was…" Koushi trailed off, thinking back to his last memories. They were foggy, at best. He could remember walking out of his house, the woods, Daichi…

"Oh my God," He breathed. "Daichi."

"Daichi-san?" Noya furrowed his eyebrows. "Did something happen to Daichi-san?"

'I don't know," Koushi said, looking around again. "He's not here, is he?"

"No," Kei frowned. "We haven't seen anyone else yet."

"He was there when I was, kidnapped, I guess?"

"I think that's the best word," Lev nodded.

"What does everyone remember, exactly?" Akaashi asked. The slight crease in his forehead led Koushi to believe that he was more unsettled by the news of having been missing for so long than he was letting on. "I was taking a walk when I was attacked."

Kageyama looked puzzled. "I wasn't attacked. I heard something, like a buzzing," His frown deepened. "And the next thing I really remember was Noya-san yelling."

"Of course I was yelling," Noya put his hands on his hips. "Your hand exploded."

"What?" Kageyama's eyes looked like they were about to pop out, and even Kei leaned over to look at his hands curiously.

"Well, not like, exploded-exploded," Noya corrected himself. "But something exploded _on_ your hand." He fanned his fingers out over the top of his own hand. "Like a burn." He sat back. "I thought you knew what it was though, because you tried to push me back." He snorted. "That's the last thing I remember."

"I don't remember that," Kageyama admitted, eyes still stuck on his hands.

" _We_ were attacked though," Yachi finally spoke up, voice muffled by Koushi's shirt. "Two men came out of the trees, but," She frowned. "I-it gets blurry after that. I remember Tsukishima-kun shouting, I think _I_ shouted, and I remember one of them falling, but that's it."

"I heard a buzzing too," Kei said. "But Yachi is right; I don't really remember what happened afterwards." He shrugged. "It was over very quickly."

"I think I heard the buzzing too," Koushi said. "I remember being outside, and I remember Daichi, and being afraid, but that's it." He sighed.

"I don't remember anything," Lev said bluntly. "I was feeding the strays near the stables, and the next thing I remember is waking up here." He pouted. "Do you know how long I've been missing, Suga-san?"

"Bokuto got the news of Akaashi-san's disappearance the same day Kuroo realized you and Kenma were missing, so probably around four or three days," Koushi's eyes snapped over to Kenma, only to be met with a steady golden stare right back. "Kenma-kun!"

"Suga-san," He waved awkwardly at him. "Are you okay?"

"As okay as any of us can be," Koushi told him truthfully.

"That's good," He paused. "I think I heard a buzzing too, I'm not sure. There may have been a guy."

"Kenma-san!" Lev shuffled over to the smaller boy. "Did you See anything?"

Kenma leaned back, giving Lev a resigned look. "Yeah. It wasn't that hard." He looked at everyone else. "I think the runes are meant to keep us physically inside more than anything else."

"Were you able to See where we are?" Akaashi asked.

Kenma shook his head. "No. I can't See something, or someone, if I've never seen them before. I did find Kuro though." He looked at Koushi. "Daichi-san is okay. He has," He traced a line on his temple, "A cut or something, but he's okay."

Koushi took his first easy breathe since waking up. "I'm glad. So Kuroo and Bokuto are still in Karasuno?"

"Nah," Kenma shook his head. "They set out. All of them did." His eyes slid over to Noya. "Tanaka-san says he has your sword. And Shouyou called you a damsel in distress," He told Kageyama, before looking at Kei. "Do you want to know?"

"Not at all." Kei said dryly.

"You can communicate with them?" Yachi asked. "Can you tell them we're all okay? Or to let my parents know that I didn't run away." She twisted her fingers in her lap. "Noya-san said the rumor was that I ran away with Tsukishima-kun and I want them to know that I didn't. Not that there's anything wrong with Tsukishima-kun!" She was steadily turning beet-red. "Anyone would want to, of course. I have plenty of friends-,"

"I'm not offended," Kei looked pained. "Please stop."

"Right," She smiled nervously.

"I can't," Kenma told her. "But Kuro knows when I Look for him. He told them, so I guess they can communicate with us, but I can't with them." A look of frustration flitted over his expression. "I'm sorry."

"It's okay," Koushi smiled at him. "It's more than we could have asked for in this situation."

"What do you mean though, about Ryuu and Shouyou?" Noya asked. "What are they doing?"

"They formed a group," Kenma said. "Kuro, Bokuto-san, Daichi-san, Tanaka-san, and Shouyou. They're looking for us."

Koushi frowned. He could understand everyone else, but Hinata? He was still an apprentice. What was Daichi thinking? Although, he glanced around again. There was no way that Hinata would have sat still with this many of his friends missing. Daichi must have come to the same conclusion.

"We need to get out of here," Kageyama declared suddenly.

"No shit," Noya rolled his eyes. "Any suggestions, Tobio?"

"No, I mean," He looked agitated. "We really _need_ to get out of here. Hinata will never let me live this down if he ends up rescuing us."

"I agree with the King," Kei actually looked alarmed. "We have to think of something."

"Alright!" Lev cheered. "Do we try the door again?"

"Well," Akaashi murmured to Koushi under his breathe. "At least we know we can work together, right?"

Koushi watched Kageyama poke at the runes on the door with a blue-lit finger to the tune of Kei's jeers and Lev and Noya's yells, only to pull back with a yelp when it lit up and crackled with energy.

"Yeah," He sighed, gesturing for Kageyama to give him his hand. "At least that's something."

* * *

"Say, Kuroo-san," Hinata finally spoke up a couple of hours into their walking. He had been unnaturally quiet up to this point, although knowing his history with nerves, Daichi had just been thankful he was dealing with a quiet Hinata and not a gastrically upset Hinata. "What exactly do you do?"

"What do you mean, Shrimpy?" Kuroo turned to quirk an eyebrow at him. They were walking in a narrow block, with Bokuto at the front, Daichi and Kuroo in the middle, and Tanaka and Hinata bringing up the rear. Not the best distribution of manpower, but they were all close-range fighters, so Daichi was working with what he had.

"You know, what do you do?" Hinata flapped his arms in the air. "What's your job?"

"Yeah!" Tanaka's disturbing, scrunched mouth grimace was met with Kuroo's indifferent stare. "I've been wondering about that too. You're not part of your militia, are you?" He looked him up and down. "You don't dress like it."

Kuroo shrugged. "Not really." Daichi could hear Bokuto snickering in front of him. "I'm a bookstore keeper."

Hinata almost tripped over his thick boots. "What!"

He pressed a hand to his chest. "It's a humble profession, you know."

"Bullshit!" Tanaka pointed accusingly at him. "I don't believe it!"

"It's true!" Bokuto called back at them. "His parents own it." Daichi could see the hint of a smirk on the bit of his face visible to him. "It's a pretty well-known store in the area. People travel to go to it."

"He's right," Kuroo smirked. "As my parents' oldest son, I do what I have do."

"But I've seen you!" Hinata exclaimed. "With the knives! You can throw them like, _fwoop fwoop fwoop_!" His wind-milling arm came close to smacking Tanaka in the face. "That's not bookkeeper stuff!"

"Hobby," Kuroo shrugged.

"Can you even use those?" Tanaka was eyeing the daggers on his belt with suspicious. "'Cause I'm not here to babysit some city boy who thinks he can fight."

Daichi could see Kuroo opening his mouth to reply, but something looming in his periphery quickly caught his attention.

"Ambush!" He called, sword out to meet the arm swinging his way. He stumbled back under the weight bearing down on him, meeting the sunken eye sockets of his attacker. "Golem!"

" _Golems_!" Bokuto grunted, and Daichi could just see him holding off his own, his swords crossed over his head as another golem pushed down on him.

Daichi grunted and dug his heels in, using his legs as leverage to push the golem back. It was going slower than he would have liked, and he could already see another monster lumbering in his direction. "Can I get a cover over here!"

Hinata leaped into view, jumping onto the approaching golem's back with a yell. "Take that!" He shouted, swinging his sword one-handedly straight through the golem's neck, only to yelp when the entire thing crumbled beneath him. "What the hell-!"

"Dirt!" Daichi heard Tanaka yelling from behind him. "They're made of dirt!"

"Great," He grunted, kicking his own golem in the knee and decapitating it when it stumbled. "Aim for the necks!" Bokuto's hoot let him know that the other had probably gotten a hit in too, but there was already another golem falling on him when he went to look.

"Where are they coming from?" Bokuto yelled. "I didn't hear them!"

"You'd think you'd notice something this big stomping all over the place!" Tanaka shouted back, the steady hacking of his sword ringing through the air. "What kind of ranger are you?"

"Hey!" Bokuto came into his field of vision on the heels of another wave of collapsing dirt. He pointed a sword at Tanaka. "These things are elementals!"

"What does that mean?" Hinata screeched, a golem almost twice his size pushing down on his sword. Daichi could see the redhead's heels sinking into the ground as the monster used its own mass to keep him in place.

"Tanaka-!" Daichi began to shout, only to stumble as the golem on him suddenly lurched back. He could see the tip of something shining through its neck, before it collapsed; Kuroo's smiling face greeting him.

He watched as Kuroo tossed the same knife he'd used on his golem at Hinata's, hitting it right in the neck again. The golem immediately let up, giving Hinata enough space to jump up and finish the job.

"Duck!" Daichi instinctively bent down, feeling a foot on his back briefly before looking up again.

"Did you just step on me?" He spun around to see Kuroo pull his dual daggers out of a crumbling pile of dirt.

"You're welcome," Kuroo said, tossing another knife at Tanaka's golem. "You good, Bokuto?"

"Yeah!" Bokuto grunted, kicking his golem in the chest, sending it stumbling over to Daichi. "Heads up, Sawamura!"

Daichi swung, catching it from hip to shoulder just as it reached him, showering his boots in dirt.

"No one likes a show-off, Sawamura," Kuroo called.

"You're not one to talk," Daichi grumbled, looking around. "Was that it?"

"Yeah," Kuroo was gathering his knives, wiping them on his pants before sticking them back in his belt. "There were three more in the perimeter, but I took care of those."

"You disappeared!" Hinata was suddenly in the taller man's space. "How did you do that?"

"I didn't disappear, Shrimpy. I'm just quick."

"So city boy has moves after all," Tanaka slapped him on the back. "Thanks for having my back there!"

Daichi left Kuroo to Hinata and Tanaka's clutches and turned to Bokuto. "You really didn't hear anything?"

Bokuto shook his head. "We're traveling through animal-deserted areas already, so any warning I could have usually gotten is kind of moot." He scratched underneath his cap. "Besides, elementals like that are usually ignored by animals."

"You said that earlier," Hinata's head snapped around. "What does that mean?"

"It means that since they're made of natural elements, animals tend to overlook them," Kuroo answered him. "They blend in," He clarified when Hinata continued to look confused.

"So you're saying that animals aren't going to get spooked by these things like they would other magic?" Tanaka asked, frowning when Bokuto nodded. "Well, that sucks."

"Do you think there's a mage around then?" Hinata asked. "Someone had to make them, right?"

"Maybe?" Bokuto shrugged. "They seemed pretty dumb though. They didn't act like they were being controlled."

"They kept running into my sword," Tanaka pointed out, patting at the dirt accumulated at the hilt. "Even when they saw each other doing the same thing."

"They were probably left behind then," Daichi concluded. "Which means we're on the right path."

Unbeknownst to them, there was a densely packed column of air lingering in the trees, shifting and reforming, with a pair of fluttering wings and a pair of purple ringed eyes.

* * *

Tadao walked into the room, stopping just inside the doorway. The other man in the room was hunched over an elaborately decorated bowl, covered in runes, staring into the water that Tadao knew was inside.

"Hideaki-sama?" Hideaki looked up and Tadao got a glimpse of purple irises before they closed in a tight smile.

"Tadao-kun!" Hideaki waved him inside. "Come, take a look at this."

Tadao walked carefully over to the table, making sure to stand a good distance away before peering inside. It looked like a high vantage point of view, a tree most likely, and he could see a group of men, boys almost, surrounded by piles of loose dirt.

"The golems were defeated?" He ventured a guess, seeing the white-haired man next to him nod out of the corner of his eye. "Who are they?"

"You don't recognize this one?" A pale finger was thrust at one of the shorter members of the party, a broad man with dark hair. Tadao stared hard, but nothing especially stood out about his features until he turned and he got a look at the red gash on his head.

"The captain of Karasuno's guard?" He frowned. "Seems pretty foolish to venture that far from his town."

"He didn't only venture from it; he's leading a rescue party." Tadao's frown deepened.

"A rescue party of only five people?" He didn't quite manage to hide the disbelief in his tone. "Foolish."

"Perhaps," Tadao knew better than to trust the airiness of that tone. "But they're on the right track, aren't they? _And_ , they destroyed the golems."

"Do you believe them a threat?"

Hideaki hummed. "I don't know yet. The captain there," He circled a finger around the figure once more, "Seems pretty capable. You probably should have killed him."

"I apologize for my blunder, Hideaki-sama," Tadao inclined his head stiffly.

Hideaki ignored him, moving his finger to hover over the tallest figure in the bowl. "This one looks familiar to me."

Tadao took a look, taking in the messy hair and irritatingly smug face. "He's from Nekoma. He was the one who raised the alarm."

"The reason you almost didn't make it out?" Hideaki peered at him again with interest. "Is he a threat?"

Tadao shook his head minutely. "I wouldn't be able to say. His friend though," He pointed at the figure in the archer's hat. "Is a ranger."

"Well, that explains that then," Hideaki dipped his finger right through the tall man's face, swirling the water inside until the image disappeared. "I think it's time we paid our guests a visit, don't you?"

* * *

Lev shifted on his knees, trying to keep his restlessness to himself. The exasperated look he was getting from Kenma let him know that he was probably failing pretty badly. It was a look he had gotten used to throughout his time working closely with the other boy though, so he took it in stride. Sugawara had explicitly forbidden him from taking any more shots at the door after he broke his knuckles a second time, so he was stuck sitting on the side while Kageyama got steadily more and more frustrated.

It was pretty funny to watch, since his eyebrows starting getting closer and closer together until they were meeting in the middle and looking like a "V," and his chin started jutting out the more he clenched his teeth. The glowing eyes were a little unsettling though. They had gone from small flashes of light to a consistent flashing to a steady glowing that was a little hard to look at directly. The more his hands lit up the more his scent flooded Lev's senses too. He smelled strongly of ice, the type of ice that melted underneath the mid-winter sun. It was a comforting smell; it reminded him of his father.

"Damn it!" Kageyama hissed, jerking his hand away from the doorknob. Lev could see the tips of his fingers scorched black.

"It didn't work the last three times, why did you think it'd work this time?" Tsukishima was rolling his eyes, but he was reaching over to swipe at the burnt hand with a glowing hand of his own anyway. The smell of sharp, pungent marigolds hit Lev's nose, making it twitch and tickle. It wasn't as nice of a scent as Sugawara's healing, which reminded him of cinnamon and ginger.

"Shut up, Tsukishima," Noya ribbed with a smile, reaching over to punch Kageyama in the shoulder good-naturedly. "We won't get anywhere if we don't try, eh, Kageyama?"

"But still," Yachi was eyeing Kageyama's pink fingertips with wide eyes. "Maybe we should try to think of something else. You keep getting hurt, Kageyama-kun, and nothing's changing. Not that I'm not thankful, of course!" She bit her lip. "You're the only one here who can do anything about the door."

"Hey!" Lev protested. "So can I!"

"You broke your hand. Twice," Kenma reminded him. "I don't think force is going to get us through the door." His gaze slid over to Kageyama. "Any kind of force."

"Hitoka-chan is right though," Noya pointed out with a sigh. "The rest of us are kind of stuck here for now. Whoever cleaned out this room did a kickass job; there's not even a stray hairpin around. Nothing I can use." He turned to stare at Tsukishima's face. "Hey-,"

"No," The blond told him, pushing his glasses up his face firmly.

"Tsukishima!"

" _No_ ," He said again, more strongly. "I've seen what you do with the weapons you improvise. I need my glasses in one piece."

"It could be our only option though!"

"Somehow, Noya-san, I don't think _picking_ the lock is going to be more successful than what the King and Haiba have been trying."

"Stop calling me that," Kageyama had a scary glare, although Tsukishima seemed pretty immune to it.

"Akaashi-san," Sugawara spoke up suddenly. "Is something wrong? You've been quiet for a while." Now that he mentioned it, he hadn't heard Akaashi in a while either. Lev turned around to see the older psychic sitting still, a pensive look on his face as he stared at the runes on the door.

"What's wrong, Akaashi-san?" Lev asked, looking between the door and him. "Is something coming?"

"No, I mean, I don't know," He frowned. "I can't sense anything outside of this room. But I was thinking-,"

The sound of the doorknob turning cut him off, and everyone immediately froze.

The door swung out without any fanfare and revealed three men in armor at the doorway. They weren't wearing any helmets, so Lev was able to get a good look at their faces, although they were rather plain. One of them had curly blond hair, the other close-cropped dark hair, and the tallest one had a severe gray stare peering out from underneath dark bangs.

"Hello!" A white-haired head popped around the tall guy. "I hope you've been enjoying your stay."

"Who the hell are you?" Noya had hopped up the minute the door started opening, and now he stood in front of the youngest members of his town, unperturbed by the fact that two of them almost reached his shoulders, even sitting down. "And where the hell are we?"

"Oh. You're, unexpected," The white-haired man patted Blondie and Crew Cut on the shoulders, and they immediately shifted to the side, letting him through, although Tall and Grave was right at his side. "Who are you?"

"I asked you first!"

"Casualty," Tall and Grave spoke, before pointing at Yachi with his chin. "So is the girl."

"Hm. You're usually more professional than that, Tadao-kun."

Tall and Grave -or Tadao, Lev supposed, - looked unmoved. "You already knew there were, unexpected, circumstances this time around."

"Well, you're not wrong," White Hair turned back to them, letting Lev get a good look at his face. He was attractive, he supposed, with high cheekbones and a round face that ended in a pointed chin. His white hair was pushed back a little, but most of it stood up in spikes around his head. Lev wouldn't have minded looking at him some more, if it weren't for those narrow, purple eyes. They sent a chill down Lev's spine and raised goosebumps on his skin. He was still fairly new to dealing with his Dragon-born senses, but he could tell that something about this man was Wrong, Wrong enough to set off his instincts.

"What is going on here?" Sugawara stood up as well, squaring his shoulders and facing White Hair head-on, a stubborn set to his jaw. Lev scrambled to his feet right behind him, hoping his height would at least discourage Blondie and Crew Cut from trying anything funny from where they had suddenly shifted their hands to their belts.

"Nomura, Adachi, stand down," White Hair waved a hand absently. "Sugawara-san isn't going to do anything hasty, now is he?" His gaze drifted to Lev, sending another chill down his back. "Neither is Haiba-kun."

"How do you know who we are?" Sugawara pressed. "Who are you?"

"My name is Wakahisa Hideaki," Wakahisa inclined his head a little, almost mockingly. "And you're Healer Sugawara Koushi. You didn't think that you came into my hospitality by accident, did you? Well," He glanced over at Noya and Yachi. "Most of you, anyway."

"That doesn't answer any of our questions," Noya snapped, widening his stance when Tadao looked over at him.

"You're all being awfully rude," Wakahisa commented lightly, eyes sliding to look over at the rest of them. "Especially after all the trouble you've caused me." His eyes stopped on Tsukishima. "You cost me a soldier, you know."

Tsukishima didn't even blink. "He ran into my glove." Lev saw Yachi blanch. "It was very careless of him."

"So cold, for a healer," Wakahisa gave a theatrical shudder before meeting Akaashi's critical stare. "And poor Yamamoto. He had a family, did you know?"

"He was still alive," Akaashi told him.

Wakahisa flapped his hand in the air. "He was a vegetable. You did quite a number on him." He gestured at his own head.

Akaashi frowned. "It was reversible. A psychic or a healer could have undone it."

"I can't have other people asking questions, don't be ridiculous, Akaashi-san," Wakahisa waved the suggestion away. "Besides, I'm afraid my poor psychic used up the last of her juice trying to get all of you together." He wagged his finger at them. "You were all much too resistant, she couldn't handle it."

"What do you want with us?" Sugawara asked softly, although his tense stance didn't budge a bit.

Wakahisa looked at him. "Right now, Sugawara-san? A word," He flicked his hand at Sugawara, and Tadao stepped into the room. The reactions were instantaneous. Noya and Kageyama flew in front of the older boy, and Lev was aware of Tsukishima leaping to his feet, Akaashi already on his other side. Even Yachi and Kenma were moving closer.

"Stay away from Suga-san, you spineless, piece of-,"

"Noya," Suga interrupted, putting his hands on both his and Kageyama's shoulders. "Calm down. Wakahisa-san isn't going to hurt me. Are you?" The last bit was directed at the man in question.

"Of course not," He actually looked slightly offended. "I think I've proven that I want you in the best of health," He spread his arms to encompass the entire room. "I even gave you my dear cousin's room. He won't be needing it anymore, anyway."

"Suga-san," Kageyama whipped around to look at him, and Lev could see the flecks of blue light sparking in his irises. "You're not actually going to-,"

"It's just a talk, Kageyama," Sugawara told him. "Besides," His voice dropped to a whisper, "He's right. He's had plenty of opportunity to hurt us and he hasn't. I don't think he's going to do anything to me."

"There are other ways to break a person, Suga-san," Akaashi said, a grim look in his eyes. He was probably thinking about that man, Yamamoto.

"Any day now, Sugawara-san," Wakahisa called. "We're losing sunlight."

"Noya, Kageyama," When neither of them budged, he sighed and stepped around them.

Lev grabbed his arm as he walked by him. "Please, Sugawara-san," He fidgeted. "Don't go."

"I'll be fine, Lev," Sugawara patted his hand. "Now let go."

"No," He shook his head, setting his lips stubbornly. "I don't like him."

"Lev," Sugawara had a steely glare when he wanted to. "Let. Me. Go."

He shook his head again, only to yelp when Sugawara's arm was ripped from his hold. Tadao had reached over and pulled him away while they were distracted.

He lunged, hissing, every muscle in his body tense. He was stopped by the point of a sword to the throat, held by Blondie. Lev hissed again, pressing forward anyway, only distantly aware of the tip digging uncomfortably into the underside of his jaw.

"Lev!" Sugawara shouted. "I'm okay! Stop!" He could feel hands tugging at his arms, but he refused to budge until a sharp burn flashed on his bicep. He jerked away from it, glancing at Kageyama with a betrayed look on his face.

"You'll live," He told him unrepentantly, blue eyes sparking.

"Well," Lev looked up to see Wakahisa considering him with a thoughtful look. "Looks like there's a little more to you than meets the eye, hm?" He turned around, gesturing Tadao forward, and with one last worried look over his shoulder, Sugawara was out of their sights. "Don't worry, Dragon-born, you'll all get your chances soon enough." And with that he was gone.

Blondie and Crew Cut stepped out and began closing the door, only pausing long enough for Crew Cut to throw out, "Oh, dinner will be around shortly," And then they were left alone again.

"Are you okay, Lev?" Kenma asked him suddenly, calling his attention away from the door.

"I think so," He rubbed at his arm mournfully. "Kageyama, that really hurt."

"I meant about your throat," Kenma clarified, pointing at his neck. 'You're bleeding."

"What?" He touched his neck, and sure enough, there was blood on his hand when he pulled it away. "Oh."

"You didn't think throwing yourself on a sword was going to have consequences?" Tsukishima asked dryly, stepping in front of him. "Are you going to bite me?"

"No…" Lev blinked at him. "Why would I?"

"Because you looked like you were going to take your chances with that sword," Noya was peering at him with approval. "It was pretty awesome. I thought Blondie was going to piss himself."

"Lev," Akaashi's eyes were following Tsukishima's glowing hand with a slight frown. "Didn't you feel it?"

"I, don't think so?" Lev sneezed, smiling sheepishly in the face of Tsukishima's unimpressed scowl. "Sorry, your healing kind of stinks. Hey!" He protested when the blond wiped his bloody hand on his shirt and stepped away. "What about my arm?"

"The King decreed that you'd survive that one," Was the only response he got, even when he pouted.

"Um," Yachi was staring at the door with wide eyes. "Do you, do you think Suga-san is really going to be okay?"

Kageyama crossed his arms, glaring at the door. "I don't know, but something about that man seemed familiar."

"Maybe you'd seen him when you lived in Seijou," Noya suggested, blinking when everyone suddenly turned to him. "What?"

"What do you mean?" Kenma asked.

"The coat of arms," Noya gestured to his chest. "On the armor. It's Shiratorizawa's." He quirked an eyebrow at Kageyama. "You didn't notice?"

"I had other things to worry about," He turned away, but Lev could see the flush creeping down his neck.

"So we're in the castle?" Yachi looked absolutely horrified. "Were we kidnapped by the king?"

"No," Akaashi shook his head. "Something else is going on here," Lev could see the strain around his eyes as he spoke. "I can't be sure, but I got the sense that we're a secret for right now. No one else knows we're here."

Lev couldn't help but be jealous of Akaashi's abilities, because right then, all he could think about was the disgustingly sweet scent of decay that still lingered, even after Wakahisa's departure.

* * *

"So, what do you think?" Koushi looked around the room he had been ushered into, taking in the heavy curtains and the thick carpeting. It was a wide room, much bigger than the one he and his friends were being held in, despite the tables and the armchairs scattered throughout.

"I think it seems pretty big, for just one man," Koushi's smile was sharp. "Especially when eight of us are in a much smaller room just down the hall."

Wakahisa laughed, a sharp sound that rang through the air before dispersing quickly. "You're not one to hold your tongue, are you, Sugawara-san?"

"Not usually, no," Koushi shrugged, eyeing the tall grey-eyed soldier that had taken a spot near the door the minute he'd let him go. Tadao, Wakahisa had called him.

"That's Tsujimura Tadao," Wakahisa told him. "He's good at his job, so I wouldn't try to run if I were you," The white-haired man had wandered over to one of the tables along the wall, running his fingers along the rim of an ornately decorated bowl. "It would end rather badly for you."

"Why are we here?" Koushi kept a wary eye on the other man's back.

"You're here because I want you to be," Wakahisa turned to face him, purple eyes glistening. "There are things I need that you may be able to provide."

Koushi regarded the other man with cautious eyes. "What makes you think we'll cooperate?"

"Well, that's the best part, Sugawara-san," He spread his hands like a mage revealing a secret. "You wouldn't have a choice. Although, I would prefer it were you willing." He waved his hand in the air. "It's less messy that way."

"What are you talking about?"

Wakahisa heaved a huge sigh, like Koushi was the one being purposefully vague. "I do hope the rumors of your talents weren't as exaggerated as the ones about your intellect appear to be," He continued without a pause, "I'm sure you're well aware that magic is, fickle, even in direct family lines."

Koushi didn't think there was anybody who _didn't_ know. Magic manifested itself in different ways even among full-blood siblings, Kei and his brother, for example. Akiteru was a psychic, similar to Kenma in that his magic funneled itself into one ability, psychometry, in his case. Kei on the other hand, was extremely predisposed towards healing magic as a whole, and with great potential to go beyond superficial healing. Similar cases were more the norm than the exception, as far as Koushi knew. Even Dragon-borns were no different. Neither Hinata's mother nor father displayed any blatant Dragon-born characteristics, and even little Hinata Natsu was still undetermined either way. Koushi himself came from a long line of healers, but he was one of the strongest to be born in decades. To say that magic was fickle would be an understatement.

Wakahisa was undeterred by his contemplative silence. "While there are some with broad talent in my family, talent they choose to squander even," There was a thread of icy steel underlying Wakahisa's nonchalant tone, "I myself have only ever been really good with one spell." His eyes lit up, casting a familiar purple glow in Koushi's face. "It's been extremely helpful though, so I suppose I can't complain."

Koushi took a step back, only to be met with an ironclad grip on his arms. He didn't have to look back to know it was Tsujimura. "What really happened to your psychic?" Koushi glared at the other man as he got closer to him. "They weren't working for you voluntarily, were they?"

"No, she wasn't," Wakahisa admitted easily. "But I can be fairly persuasive. Enough to push people past those pesky self-preservation boundaries."

"You drained her, didn't you?" Koushi realized with horror.

Wakahisa shook his head. "No, she drained _herself_ ," He clarified. "She just did it on my behalf."

Just like any other ability, magic came with natural boundaries for their users. Some people naturally had more stamina than others, some people chose to practice to increase their thresholds, and certain types of magic were more taxing than others -healing was one of the least overwhelming ones- but there was always a point where you had to stop in order to give yourself a break. Pushing past that point could lead to injury, or even death.

"That's-, you-," Koushi's eyes hardened into a glare as Wakahisa came to a stop in front of him. "You're a monster."

"Now, now," An almost sickeningly gentle hand brushed his hair out of his eyes. "That's not very nice. This isn't going to hurt a bit. I think," Wakahisa added blithely before Koushi saw his hand light up in his periphery. He tried to crane his neck away, but a similarly glowing hand clasped onto the other side of his head, and between Wakahisa's grasp and Tsujimura behind him, there was nowhere he could go.

Wakahisa seemed determined to keep eye contact with him, because all he could see invading his line of sight were those glowing purple irises as the warmth spread in sharp outward bursts toward the center of his face. Koushi couldn't help but silently agree that Wakahisa wasn't particularly magically gifted; even Kageyama's magic had felt better than this back when he'd first arrived in Karasuno, reckless and angry in his control. And it vastly different than a healing, even Kei's, who tended to be a bit brusque with his approach. This flashed across his skin like an unburning fire, uncomfortable and stinging.

He felt it creep into his eyes, and somehow, he swore he could feel it actually trying to sink deeper into his face before, suddenly, it was just gone.

He blinked, confusion growing in the face of Wakahisa's hiss, lips tight as he slid his hands off his face and took a step back.

"I can't say I'm surprised, but I am disappointed," Wakahisa sighed, before looking back at Koushi. "I suppose your protégé will probably fare the same."

It hadn't worked, Koushi realized with a start. And from the sound of it, Wakahisa believed Kei wouldn't be susceptible either. Koushi hoped he was right.

"Well, nothing to be done about that, I suppose," The white-haired man clapped his hands together. "I do hope you'll still be cooperative though, Sugawara-san."

Koushi couldn't believe this. "And what exactly makes you think-,"

"I mean, despite the _obvious_ generosity I've displayed towards you," Wakahisa interrupted, "With the lodgings, and the sparing of the two little casualties," -He was talking about Yachi and Noya, Koushi realized with a sinking stomach,- "I also spared the captain's life." Wakahisa locked eyes with him. "That can easily be changed."

Koushi's blood ran cold. "Are you threatening me? Are you threatening _Daichi_?" His lunge forward was stopped by Tsujimura. "He has nothing to do with this!"

"And how would you know that, Sugawara-san? We've barely just met."

"He would already be here," Koushi spat confidently, feeling a little relieved when Wakahisa regarded him back with a little respect.

"That's true," Wakahisa shrugged easily. "But for how long, is the real question," His eyes revealed nothing, and Koushi stubbornly held his tongue. This man would hear nothing about Daichi and everyone else from him, that was for sure.

There was a beat of tense silence before Wakahisa waved his hand again, this time behind Koushi. "Tadao-kun, have Adachi-kun escort Sugawara-san back to his room. Nomura-kun should be back with dinner soon." He turned his attention back to Koushi. "Despite our differences, I enjoyed our little talk, Sugawara-san." His smile was perfectly genial, and that creeped Koushi out more than anything else. "Please keep my words in mind."

And with that, Koushi was firmly herded to the door where the man with the close-cropped haircut took his arm and began leading him down the hall, the door closing with a near-silent click behind him.

Koushi's head was still spinning as he was greeted with shouts of relief upon his return. His heart clenched as he accepted Yachi's wailing hug and Lev's overenthusiastic nuzzling. What was going to happen to them now?

* * *

Tadao turned from the closed door to glance back at Hideaki where he was still staring at the wall with his arms crossed.

"You knew that was going to happen," He decided finally.

"I suspected," Hideaki shrugged loosely. "He wasn't the first healer, after all."

"Do you really think Healer Tsukishima will be the same?"

"Probably," Hideaki looked unconcerned. "The healers are the least of my concerns though. They'll still do their job."

Tadao supposed he was right. The group appeared close already; neither Sugawara nor Tsukishima would probably need much persuading to heal their comrades.

"This doesn't change anything," Hideaki declared, moving towards the scrying bowl again. "But I do think Sugawara-san has a little more fire than I had suspected."

Tadao frowned. "Is he going to be a problem?" He fingered his belt lightly.

"None of that, Tadao-kun," Hideaki hadn't even bothered to turn away from where he was tapping on the runes with a purple-lit finger. "He's stubborn, but he's easily controlled. I doubt he'll do anything to jeopardize any of his companions. Likewise, they all seemed particularly enamored with him as well; I doubt they'll be difficult to control the same way."

Hideaki hummed as he dipped a finger in the water. "Oh, they've made good headway. That's unfortunate." Tadao could see the smile spreading on his face as he looked into the water. "I do think it's time we send Sugawara-san's beloved captain a welcoming party, don't you?" He finally looked back at Tadao, eyes glowing faintly. "I think this calls for our mage."

"Which one?" Hideaki huffed and shook his head, like he was being ridiculous.

"You know which one, Tadao-kun."

"I don't think he'll last much longer at this rate, Hideaki-sama." He was met with a nonchalant shrug as Hideaki turned back to the bowl.

"If they continue on this path," He tapped the edge of the bowl lightly, "Then they'll be through Seijou and onward to Shiratorizawa before the week's end, and we can't have that, can we."

It wasn't a question, but Tadao knew he was still expected to answer. "No, Hideaki-sama."

"Of course not," Hideaki agreed easily. "Besides, this way, our mage's work will either stop them, or guarantee that there'll be enough reasons for them to take care of some of my unfinished business for me." Hideaki nodded to himself, turning all the way around to regard Tadao with a small smile. "Wouldn't that be nice." He didn't give Tadao any opportunity to answer that time, as he waved him towards the door. "Now, could you bring him? The sooner the better; I'm getting hungry."

Tadao bowed. "Of course, Hideaki-sama." He let himself out of the room and turned to the left, passing Nomura as he walked by with a few stacked trays.

"Tsujimura-san."

"Nomura-san," Tadao inclined his head back at him, eyes already fixed on the door he was headed towards.

"Oh," He turned to see Nomura standing still, a knowing look creeping into his blue eyes. "He's going to use him again?"

"Mhm," Tadao confirmed, watching as Nomura clicked his tongue.

"He's not doing that well, you know."

"I am aware. Hideaki-sama is adamant."

Nomura snorted at that, resuming his stride. "Yeah, I'm sure. He's never cared much for elemental mages, has he?"

Tadao glanced between the door at the end of the hallway and the one where the most overworked captive was kept.

"No, he hasn't."

* * *

There was a disappointing lack of our rescue party in this, but it started getting too long, so I had to push back most of my plans for them to the next chapter. I think this didn't turn out too bad this way. We got to meet our villains, after all. And they're from Shiratorizawa too! *Gasps* Well. Sorta.


End file.
